Further study

Further study

Are you considering further study or taking a postgraduate course? There are many great reasons to do further study, but first think about how much another course will help your future career. Studying a postgraduate degree can involve significant time and financial commitments.

Why further study?

Positive reasons to take another course:

• Are you passionate about your subject? If you’d like to work in academia, then further study is almost always a requirement.
• Will it improve your career prospects?
• Is the course a requirement for a particular career? For example the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) is a one-year course for those wishing to train as a teacher in Scotland.
• Do you want to work in an area that’s unrelated to your undergraduate degree? A postgraduate course can help you change career paths.
• You could earn more money – research by the Sutton Trust has concluded that somebody with a Masters can on average expect to earn £5,500 more a year, or over £200,000 more over a 40 year working life, than someone holding a Bachelor’s degree.

Search for postgraduate taught courses at the University of Stirling.

Find out about postgraduate funding opportunities at Stirling.

There's also a wide range of postgraduate funding opportunities open to students studying elsewhere in the UK and worldwide.

Consider your decision more thoroughly if:

• You want to gain extra time to consider your options before entering the job market. Postgraduate study can leave little time for reflection. Ask yourself why you’re feeling unready? Will you feel ready after completing a course of further study?
• You’re looking to extend student life – postgraduate study is more intensive and time consuming than undergraduate study.

Unsure if further study is the right option for you?

See these useful resources:

International students and further study

If you’re a non-European Economic Area (EEA) national looking to undertake UK-based postgraduate study, you must apply to the Home Office to extend your 'leave to remain' here. See the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) for more information.

Talk to us

We offer an impartial advisory service and won’t recommend doing a course that is not in your best interests.

Contact the Careers Service

You can contact us via TARGETconnect.

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